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Ohio Among Top States for Tech Job Growth

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A national study on high-tech jobs released Thursday shows that Ohio is quickly establishing itself as a hub of high-tech job activity. The Buckeye State is home to three of the top 25 cities for tech job growth -- more than any other state.

Overall, the average high-tech job growth in the state was 4.6%, almost double the national average of 2.6%, according to the study commissioned by San Francisco-based nonprofit Engine Advocacy. The study found high-tech job creation is outpacing job growth in the private sector as a whole and boosting local economic activity.

From 2010 to 2011, Dayton touted a 24.2% increase in high-tech employment growth, leading the state with the creation of 3,500 tech jobs. Also, the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor region saw a 9.1% increase in the number of high-tech jobs created -- placing as one of the top 25 regions for high-tech employment growth in the United States. The Canton-Massillon area also made the list, experiencing a 10.1% increase in tech growth. The Youngstown-Warren region was not mentioned in the report's summary.

“A skilled high-tech workforce is one of the strongest resources the Dayton region has for the tech industry,” said Chris Kershner, vice president of the Dayton Chamber of Commerce. “Through strategic partnerships between the technology industry and our higher education institutions, the Dayton area is producing the current and future workforce for this industry.”

The average salary of a high-tech worker in Ohio was $76,825 per year, the study found. Additionally, the region has been one of the highest growth metro areas in the past five years with a 7.1% increase in high-tech jobs from 2006 to 2011.

"In Lake County, we've seen steady job growth in the technology sector. Our community benefits from a robust health care-focused industry as well as technological research and development firms,” said Chris Galloway, Concord Township trustee. “High-tech can continue to lead northeastern Ohio by providing good-paying jobs and economic investment."

Among the key findings of the report:

Jobs in high-tech industries are almost everywhere, with 98% of counties in the United States home to at least one high-tech business.

Hubs of high-tech employment can be found in unexpected places, including communities in the Midwest, South, West, Northeast and along both coasts.

Employment growth in the high-tech sector has outpaced growth in the private sector by a ratio of 3 to 1 since the botom of the dot-com bust in early 2004.

High-tech job growth is projected to outpace job growth in the economy as a whole over this decade, expanding by 16.2% between 2011 and 2020.

High-tech workers earn 17% to 27% more than their peers in other industries, even when controlling for factors such es age, sex and education.

Higher wages and job growth have significant effects: the creation of one job in the high-tech sector is estimated to be associated with the creation of 4.3 other jobs in local economies.

"This study addresses an important question: how important is high tech employment growth for the U.S. labor market?" said Enrico Moretti, professor of economics at the University of California Berkeley and author of "The New Geography." As it turns out, the dynamism of the U.S. high-tech companies matters not just to scientists, software engineers and stockholders, but to the community at large.

“While the average worker may never be employed by Google or a high-tech startup,” Moretti said, “our jobs are increasingly supported by the wealth created by innovators."

Not only has high-tech job growth remained strong over the last decade, but the report also shows that the trend will continue and that demand for high-tech workers will surpass demand for workers in other sectors.

“This research confirms the story that I see unfolding every day in cities across the country,” said Michael McGeary, senior strategist for Engine Advocacy. “The trajectory for job growth and the higher incomes of tech workers, combined with the job multiplier effect, make the high-tech sector a key driver of economic growth in cities across America.”

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.CLICK HERE to subscribe to our twice-monthly print edition.